Jason Lei Howden's Deathgasm

Cody has a blast with a horror/comedy now in select theatres and on VOD.

If Sam Raimi were a metalhead, he might have made an Evil Dead movie something like writer/director Jason Lei Howden's feature debut Deathgasm. An appreciation for Raimi, as well as for the early works of Howden's fellow New Zealander Peter Jackson (with whom he has worked as a visual effects artist), really comes through in the film, and Howden has also referenced Return of the Living Dead, Night of the Demons, Trick or Treat 1986, The Goonies, and The Monster Squad as influences.

The story centers on teenage metalhead Brodie (Milo Cawthorne), who has formed a band called DEATHGASM - yes, all caps - with his pals Zakk (James Blake), Dion (Sam Berkley), and Giles (Daniel Cresswell). When the young musicians "acquire" some sheet music from metal legend Rikki Daggers (Stephen Ure), playing it turns out to be a grave mistake. They have just played the Black Hymn, music that has unleashed a supernatural force and jump-started a demon apocalypse.

Deathgasm is fast, funny, and energetic before it gets overrun with demons, but once DEATHGASM has to go into battle to solve the problem they've caused the film really kicks into top gear. The second half of the movie is non-stop mayhem and bloodshed, speeding along on a rockin' soundtrack, packed with gross-outs and laughs.

Aided by Brodie's crush Medina (Kimberley Crossman), a girl you might think is out of his league, the teenage heroes have to contend not only with demons who are quite reminiscent of the Deadites in the Evil Dead series, but also blade-wielding cultists. They fight back in any way they can... even when the only weapon at hand is a dildo.

86 minutes of pure entertainment, Deathgasm is one of the most fun and satisfying new horror/comedies I have seen in a while. If you're a fan of movies like Evil Dead II and Dead-Alive, I highly recommend that you check this one out as soon as possible.

Howden is currently working on the screenplay for Deathgasm Part 2: Live Undead, a movie I would love to see. For it to happen, though, the first one has to be successful, so let's support it.

Deathgasm is playing in select theatres and is available on VOD right now!